Application for the Use of the Research Study Rooms

The Vartan Gregorian Center for Research in the Humanities, located on the second floor of The New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, offers four shared study rooms: the Frederick Lewis Allen Room, the Wertheim Study, Scholar Room 217, and the Shoichi Noma Reading Room. These spaces are for researchers whose work will benefit from intensive use of the Library's collections.

Researchers who apply and are provided space in the study rooms receive:

  • Key card access to one of our four study rooms
  • Assigned shelves to store library materials
  • Extended borrowing periods for onsite use of Library collections 
  • Registration in our Researcher Borrower program
  • Opportunities to connect with other researchers in a range of social and research-centric events, programs, and seminars

Study Room Applicant FAQs

  • Students interested in applying must be enrolled in a doctoral program
  • Journalists, independent researchers, writers, and other professionals are welcome to apply
  • Successful applicants will clearly articulate their need for extended access to our print collections
  • Researchers needing access primarily to databases, e-books, or other non-print formats are best served in our reading rooms
  • Given the demand for the study rooms, applicants should have a sustained need to be onsite at the Library throughout their term. Researchers who are not regularly working at the Library and/or have little or no activity on their Library accounts will be referred to our general reading rooms
  • Study room access is provided only to the name of the person on the application. Researchers may not bring research assistants unless the assistant applies on their own.
  • The study rooms are not available for group study or collaborative work
  • Researchers assigned to a study room are provided with an orientation and a review of the Gregorian Center’s terms and policies

For additional information, please visit the Gregorian Center for Research in the Humanities information page or contact researchstudyrooms@nypl.org. 

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